Captains with the Hong Kong Cup of Nations trophy
The Hong Kong Cup of Nations is a 15-a-side rugby tournament which features 4 national sides – Hong Kong, Portugal, Russia and Zimbabwe. There are 6 Test matches in total with fixtures on 13, 17 and 21 November 2015. The round-robin competition replaces the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union’s (HKRFU) November international Test series. All Cup of Nations matches were scheduled to be played at Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) and admission is free.
This year’s competition has been dominated by the hosts, Hong Kong, and Russia who have both won their 1st 2 games of the tournament. Portugal look to be the 3rd best team losing by 11 points in their opening match to Russia while only losing by 7 against Hong Kong, gaining their losing bonus point which sees them in 3rd place on the table. Zimbabwe have struggled and suffered the biggest loss (by 45 points) today against Russia.
It is fitting that the final game of the tournament, on Saturday (21 November), will also be the decider for the Hong Kong Cup of Nations as the unbeaten teams Hong Kong and Russia face each other. Portugal and Zimbabwe (whose Sevens team were narrowly beaten by Kenya in the African Regional Qualifier for Olympics in Rio) will face each other in the earlier game on Saturday in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
Fixtures and Results:
| Date | Time | Home | Score | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13/11/15 | 16:00 | Portugal | 12 / 23 | Russia | HKFC |
| 13/11/15 | 19:00 | Hong Kong | 30 / 11 | Zimbabwe | HKFC |
| 17/11/15 | 16:00 | Zimbabwe | 5 50 | Russia | HKFC |
| 17/11/15 | 19:00 | Hong Kong | 13 / 6 | Portugal | HKFC |
| 21/11/15 | 14:00 | Portugal | vs | Zimbabwe | HKFC |
| 21/11/15 | 17:00 | Hong Kong | vs | Russia | HKFC |
Points table:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 17 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 17 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | Portugal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 36 | -18 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 80 | -64 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
KEY: P-played; W-win; D-draw; L-loss; PF-points for; PA-points against; PD-points difference; TB-tries bonus (1 point for scoring four or more tries in a match); LB-losing bonus (1 point for a loss by seven points or better); Pts-competition points (W-4, D-2, L-0).
Fixtures & results – scmp